Friday, 14 September 2012

The Record Holder

When we take over a new building, it usually takes a few months for the problem tenants to nominate themselves to the shit-list...in this case, it only took 8 hours.We took possession of the building on the 31st of the month. That day was mostly spent meeting with the ex-building manager, looking over paperwork, handing out notices, meeting tenants, collecting keys, and general 'switch over' duties. I had also heard that there was a pending arbitration case with the tenancy board, so I made sure that all the paperwork and information was correct as I would be taking over the case.It was a simple case; tenant made partial payment for rent 2 months prior and had not paid rent since. The previous manager had told me this guy was a 26 year old self-entitled punk who had several noise complaints against him on top of not paying rent, and loved to confront his neighbours when they complained. Awesome. I had all the info that I needed and within the next few days was going to make contact with him to let him know I was taking over the case and to 'feel' him out. Fortunately (or, unfortunately), about 4 hours after acquisition, he phoned me. Right off the bat, I could tell that the previous managers description of him was pretty damn accurate. He tried to control the situation, talked a lot of shit about the old manager, told me random irrelevant stories about the building, him being 'friends' with everyone, and, of course, the reason he 'refused' to pay rent: he claimed that the old manager had entered his apartment without permission and he was withholding it to prove a point....ya, whatever.I gave him a proposal: Come up to date with his outstanding rent and pay rent the following day (the 1st) for the next month's rent and I would wipe the slate clean. It should be noted that taking over an arbitration case is never a good thing, especially when the previous manager is a fucking idiot (and this guys was a MAJOR fucking idiot). You need to put a lot of faith in the fact that it was done correctly...papers were served correctly, forms were filled out properly, and that the claim is actually valid. I was on the fence about taking over the case, but really did not have another choice as it had already been filed. He had told me over and over that money was not the issue, he was rolling in money, and it WAS just to prove a point. I HIGHLY recommended that he take my proposal as he really did not have a case. A judge was literally going to ask him one question: did you pay rent? He says, "no", and the case is closed. He said he would think about it. Conversation went fairly well, I could tell the dude LOVED to talk and he very much thought he was right. I reiterated the fact that I run building very differently and that any problems he had with past managers, he would not have with me.Later that night, my phone rings. It is the tenant next to him who tells me that buddy next door has his music cranked and will not turn it down. He continues to tell me his ongoing issues with they guy...I listen...attempt to mitigate...tell him I'll take care of it. I phone buddy for a 'friendly' "Hey! How is it going? I have had some complaints about music, would you mind just turning it down a bit...its a wood frame building...noise travels...blah blah blah". Yeah. Not so much. Dude literally loses his shit within 2 seconds of me talking. He is talking in circles about people in the building, "his rights", the asshole ex-manager, the dude down the hall who has people over some times, etc...literally anything he can think of to complain...like, shit that happened months ago. Clearly this guy is drunk/high as he is slurring his words and just going nuts. It escalates and turns into him swearing at me and calling me names (which, honestly, never effects me) and telling me to call the cops because, "they won't care because I am friends with them". Ya dude, I'm sure you are.I hang-up on him as I am starting to lose my cool and call the neighbour back. I tell him to call the cops if it continues, explain the upcoming court case, and ask him to be patient. Two mins later I get a call from another tenant telling me that buddy is in the hallway screaming and pounding on doors. There goes my night.I get to the building in about 5 mins and confront him. Now, although I have talked to the dude on the phone, this is my first time seeing him. A 5'2" little tattooed roid monkey answers the door. I try my best not to laugh. We start going at it, him circling again, tells me he is a boxer, and trying to direct the conversation. He calls me arrogant, a fucking bitch, condescending, and anything else he can manage to put together in his coked out drunk stupor. The whole thing literally ends with him telling me he is going to win in court, he is never going to leave, I am wrong, he knows everything, then he tries to start a physical fight with someone else who was there, and then finally he retreats to his apt. I tell everyone to phone the police should he start again.I hear nothing for days and soon the court date is upon us. I half expect him to not show, but he does in all his cocky self-entitled glory. I can tell from the get-go that buddy thinks he has this nailed down, no problem, he is going to win. Oh, how deluded they can be some times. Case lasts about 10 mins with the one question asked by the judge: did you pay? "no". That was pretty much it...he got pretty agitated while trying to bring up irrelevant shit and the judge shut him down pretty quickly and practically called him an idiot. Again, it was hard not to laugh. Judge rules an order of possession that takes effect 48 hours after it arrives in the mail. I debate contacting him to see what he is planning on doing. I fully expect him to continue the fight, as he is totally "right". Turns out, hours after the judge ruled, he packed up all his shit quietly and slipped out like the little pussy he is. He even cleaned the apartment.Made my job easier. If it wasn't for the fact that he is the record holder for putting himself on the shit-list within 8 hours of taking over the building, this dude would have been easily forgettable. It did make for some immediate entertainment though.